title: Normal cognitive aging.
abstract: Even those who do not experience dementia or mild cognitive impairment may experience subtle cognitive changes associated with aging. Normal cognitive changes can affect an older adult's everyday function and quality of life, and a better understanding of this process may help clinicians distinguish normal from disease states. This article describes the neurocognitive changes observed in normal aging, followed by a description of the structural and functional alterations seen in aging brains. Practical implications of normal cognitive aging are then discussed, followed by a discussion of what is known about factors that may mitigate age-associated cognitive decline.
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CH-19-201, 1720 Second Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. Electronic address: charada@uabmc.edu.
authors.forename: Caroline N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Marissa C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Natelson Love
authors.forename: Kristen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Triebel
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Aging; Cognition; Dementia; Mild cognitive impairment